Question

the earth is acted by the gravitational force of attraction due to the sun then why does the Earth not fall towards the sun ​

Answer 1

Answer:

The earth does not fall into sun due to gravitational pull of sun on earth. This is because earth is not stationary.It is revolving around the sun in a particular orbit. ... Hence the earth does not fall into the sun.

Answer 2

Explanation:

The Earth is CONTINUOUSLY FALLING TOWARDS THE SUN. But because it has a high orbital velocity, i.e sideways momentum, it never falls INTO the sun.

THINK OF IT LIKE THIS: If you spin a stone with a thread it experiences a centrifugal force. While the stone is spinning, it will never fall towards you. Only if you stop the spinning will the stone lose sideways momentum and come to rest at your feet. The Earth experiences the same thing: The sun pulls it inward using the 'Thread of Gravity' while the centrifugal force due to its orbital motion pulls it radially outwards.

THE PRINCIPLE BEHIND THIS PHENOMENON:

Suppose you have a ball and you stand on the Earth's surface. If you throw the ball, it will fall at some distance away, following a parabolic path.

Now, if you INCREASE THE VELOCITY with which you throw, the ball will land FARTHER BACK.

If you increase the velocity yet again, the ball will land farther back.

Keep doing this and you will reach a velocity with which, IF YOU THROW THE BALL IT WILL NEVER FALL BACK TO EARTH. IT WILL CONTINUE BEING IN THE ORBIT. This Velocity Is called the orbital velocity.

Now, when a body stays in orbit it is acted upon by 2 forces:

1) Gravitational force of attraction between the body and the planet/star,

2) centrifugal force on the body

In order to stay in orbit centrifugal force must be greater than or equal to the Gravitational Force.

SUMMARISING....

This is the reason why the Earth keeps falling into the sun but never arrives: Because the centrifugal force acting on it is greater than or equal to the gravitational force from the Sun.

Even the ASTRONAUTS keep falling towards the Earth but they never do because of the same principle.